


You Belong to the Stars in the Clouds

by DenebYL



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, F/F, First Crush, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, One Shot, time to throw myself into the orbit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 13:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14955224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DenebYL/pseuds/DenebYL
Summary: Alternate Universe with Rice Goddess Hanayo Koizumi and Princess (Queen?) Maki Nishikino.Title from "Goodbyes" by Jorja Smith





	You Belong to the Stars in the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> i dont know why i went and did this i'm actually really sorry out of the 30 works that i've done i'm legitimately sorry for this one i teared up a bit just thinking about it honestly
> 
>  
> 
> titled this on my word doc as the makipana angst that absolutely no one asked for

The first waking moment that Maki Nishikino had spent this morning, she noted to herself how today’s budding sunrise felt somewhat special.

It wasn’t a different view for her when she had woken up – the marble floors that felt cold to the touch, as always, as soon as she turned to rise from her bed. The way the moonlight dimly lit her room, embracing what very little it could shine upon from the open windows, and the way the curtains swayed against the morning seaside breeze…

 _Same as always._ She thought to herself as she put on a robe, and walked past the transparent curtains and out onto the balcony.

But perhaps it was the fact that she had woken up several minutes earlier, just in time to see a blush of golden at the skyline.

She marvelled at the mellow amber as it danced with hints of scarlet, underneath the watchful eyes of the bright and sporadic flecks of Virgo.

Though she frowned a little bit at the sight – Virgo’s tale was a tragedy, not one she was fond of.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she wondered if this meant anything to her. A tragedy to befall her and her kingdom, perhaps? 

She leaned toward the railings, and took a moment to herself.

How could she not utilise this moment? After all, this was one of the few times in a day that she was only able to focus on herself, and not on anyone else.

Though the anyone else she was referring to is an entire kingdom filled with thousands of people – it wasn’t really something she could just get away from at a moment’s notice.

Sure, she loved her kingdom and her people. She would be lying if she said she didn’t.  
The love and affection that they gave her was something she made sure to reciprocate, as reflected in what she did for them.

And she definitely did put their best interests at heart. She did.

The small mining cave to the North that seemed to be running out of materials, the business proposal from Nico Yazawa and Honoka Kosaka that she had yet to approve of…

But it gets tiring.

She let out a tiny groan, and pouted, bright eyes still directed towards the slowly blooming sun – a mellow pink now occupying the horizon.

“Seriously…” Maki mumbled to herself.

She let her eyes quietly trace the faint sunlight onto the shores, expecting to see nothing but shades of brown, and instead saw a distant figure that was drawing closer, leaving footprints on the beach.

It was weird for Maki, how she couldn’t keep her eyes away.

Perhaps it was how the wind swept away her short brown hair, kept somewhat in place by the laurels on her head.

Perhaps it was how she walked gracefully in the gown she wore, her clothes gleaming with a sense of mystery and wonder, and how she looked absolutely stunning in it.

Or perhaps it was how her tired lavender eyes met soft mauve ones – though the latter was startled, and proceeded to hide far from her sight.

Maki’s decision to leave her room and give chase was one she never regretted.

-

The first time that they had held hands, Maki was blissfully unaware for the first three minutes.

She blames herself, really.

They had found themselves by the exact same shore, somewhere around the spot where Maki had first spotted Hanayo, and laughed about it as they recalled the events that had happened three months ago.

“Honestly… I couldn’t look away.” She confessed, an earnest, loving smile forming on her lips.

There was a tinge of pink on Hanayo’s cheeks – her eyes widened for a few seconds, and then they were soft.

For Maki, the look in her eyes that day was softer than the silk sheets that she embraced sleep on, softer than the cushioned robe that she donned every day and found comforts in.

“…I’m glad.” She spoke quietly, unable to stop the chuckle that escaped her lips.

Maki’s entire attention was so lost in Hanayo’s eyes that she didn’t feel her hands hold on, entwined under the moonlit skies.

-

The first time that Maki had truly realised that Hanayo’s happiness was hers was on a quiet Thursday evening.

It was a candlelit dinner, one that she had asked her caretaker Nozomi to arrange.

“For a friend.” She vaguely admitted, much to Nozomi’s knowing smile.

It was set in the rose gardens that Maki enjoyed taking an afternoon stroll in. The grasses freshly cut, the rose bushes trimmed and shaped, and she made sure that the candles had her favourite scent to it.

When she put a blindfold over Hanayo’s eyes, she wasn’t sure if a Goddess could still see beyond the physical form that they had presented… But she took Hanayo’s word for it.

“You’re not looking, right?”

“I’m not, I promise!” She giggled.

Maki slowly undid the ribbon that had covered those honest and loving eyes, and hoped that it she would love what she had prepared.

Well, what her handmaids had prepared. She wasn’t about to set fire to the kitchen, for the… tenth time? Not that it mattered anymore.

“I’m not sure if it’s a feast for a Goddess at all, but… I hope this was enough.” Maki looked away with a careless shrug.

And much to her surprise, Hanayo had wrapped her arms around her, clearly overjoyed. She was muttering appreciations to her endlessly, and had a small teardrop falling down her cheek.

Maki noted that the emotions that had bloomed in her chest was something she will grow to treasure – and she did.

-

The first time that they had kissed, Maki was so caught up in the romantic atmosphere as she leaned in to capture Hanayo’s lips, only realising once Hanayo had let out a surprised squeak.

They had lied down on a cushion in the Drawing Room, Maki sharing in her favourite pastime of stargazing.

“My favourite star is Arcturus.” She confessed, smiling to herself.

“The guardian of the bear.” Hanayo commented, a soft giggle leaving her lips.

“Yep.” Maki nodded.

“That’s one of the best ones, I think!” She replied, and then started talking about her favourites – ones she had admired since the day of her birth, and eventually ones she started to look for on the night sky.

At this point, Maki had stopped watching the stars, and was quietly watching the gentle gleam in Hanayo’s eyes, her enthusiasm not blinding but it definitely shone through.

And Hanayo turned to look at her, her lips quietly curved into a soft smile.

At that moment, Maki didn’t quite register it in her mind, but she leaned in and planted a kiss on Hanayo’s lips. She noted how they were sweet, until she was stopped in her tracks because of a squeak that Hanayo had let out.

“I-I’m… I’m so sorry!” Maki immediately withdrew, and panicked, her face flushed from ear to ear. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

In a fit of equal panic, Hanayo stuttered.

“Ah, no! I… I didn’t…!”

What stopped the two of them from the relentless horror in their minds and anxious flailing around was simply another look into each other’s eyes.

“…I’m… I’m really sorry.” Maki muttered, face still pink.

“…You… You don’t have to apologise…” Hanayo shyly said, and shook her head.

“Um…” She tilted her head slightly, a bit confused.

“…I didn't mind it, actually.” She mumbled, eyes looking down on her hands that had intertwined.

Maki noted that this was one of Hanayo’s tells – when nervous, the rice goddess would put her hands together, and fiddle with her thumbs.

A deafening silence roamed the air around them, and eventually it died down as soon as the princess spoke up once again.

“Can I…?” She asked, voice slightly wavering.

Maki noted that her second kiss was softer, and it definitely ended better than her first – her hand in Hanayo’s as she hummed her favourite song, compared to the two of them freaking out to the point of incomprehensible sentences.

-

The first time that Maki had cried, she had spent days on end cooping herself up in her room.

 _It wasn’t Hanayo’s fault!_ She chanted to herself in her mind over and over again, frustration consuming her mind, tugging at her heartstrings.

Hanayo had appeared by the shores again last night, but this time she sobbing as she was surrounded by the different animals that had flocked to her.

“They want me to leave.” She managed to let out through hiccups and tears, eventually crying in Maki’s embrace.

But Maki no longer heard her tears after realising the implications of what she had said – Instead, what she heard was a deafening silence as she tried to process the fact that her first love had to be ripped away so suddenly, and so forcibly.

Although eventually she managed to comfort Hanayo, she failed to comfort her own crying heart, falling onto her knees as Hanayo had bid her goodbye, promising to see her again for as much as they could.

She blames herself, really – For having fallen in love so hopelessly.

 _The Kingdom…_ She thought in her mind, trying to encourage herself to get up and stop lamenting – She had responsibilities, and she had to rise back up again.

Only to be thrown back into the spider-web that she had tried to break out of.

_It’s fine. Umi’s doing a good job. She’s not an Advisor for nothing, right?_

Her train of thought was put to a halt as soon as she heard knocks from the balcony window that she had shut tight.

Maki’s heart leapt at the sound – recognising the knocks as a secret code that she and Hanayo had devised together.

But the pang of guilt quickly brought it down, and she could only unlock the door, meeting Hanayo’s concerned face as she pulled the door open.

-

The first time Maki Nishikino had her heart broken, it was also on a sunrise much like the same one she saw before she had met Hanayo Koizumi.

They had spent the whole night together, not as much as a few centimetres apart, and they did what they can to cherish their last few moments together.

Not that it mattered – Maki wished that Hanayo could stay, so badly, with every bit of willpower in her heart.

It was unfortunate that she had no power over this.

It was unfortunate that she really could not simply hide Hanayo away from prying, celestial eyes.

It was unfortunate that this was all the time that they could have together.

So when the sunrise seeped in through the curtains, Hanayo’s feet was first to fade away, and Maki tried to grab her dress, but all she managed to hold was air.

Hanayo planted a kiss onto her left cheek.

So when Hanayo started losing the pink flush on her skin, Maki held her elbows with shaking fingers.

Hanayo planted a kiss onto her right cheek.

So when Hanayo started to cry, and the fallen teardrops faded onto nothing, Maki’s tears fell quicker and heavier – as if to substitute.

Hanayo put their foreheads together, their eyes closed as she muttered how much she had loved Maki, and the time that they had spent together.

And when all that remained of Hanayo was a vague shadow, barely physical, she planted a kiss onto Maki’s lips – the sweet remnants of her memories as a testament to their time together.

“I love you.”

…

 

Maki finally opened her eyes to nothing but white rose petals scattered in her room, besprinkled on her lap and open palms.

“...I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> note: Hanayo had to leave because a stronger God didn't approve of a human/goddess thing I hadn't really fleshed it out........
> 
> bc I've had this AU idea stewing since engsif got goddess pana (yep, that long) and I'm like "oh damn" and my friend's like "oh no" and then it ended with us yelling @ each other for 30 minutes and sobbing and they threatened to come to my house to punch me
> 
> Look
> 
> All I'm saying is..........
> 
> I'm just saying I would punch me too so


End file.
